Don't sweat it. I just wish I'd had known because I'm only so-so with Excel. There were some things that I thought I could do, but couldn't figure out, so ended up doing it a lot more time consumingly than necessary.

I would love for someone to email me their spreadsheet. I've been working one one for literally hours.
Darn hubbie keeps implying that my work is stupid!

Since we're all about statistics today: these states rarely fare well for Top Ten States/Contestants at Miss America.

However, The University of Alabama IS represented by Chandler Champion, ZTA and Miss Alabama in this year's televised September 15th pageant.

I am a proud new member of Chi Omega!!! I am absolutely in love with my house and all 111 of my new sisters!

Congratulations Em.

PM me your email.

Random....My husband went to the Braves game tonight and apparently the entire Phi Mu chapter from Alabama took up 2 sections of the upper deck in the stadium.

Rejected her bid
 

Sorry I didn't post on bid day, I was taking my DS to school! I bet you can already tell what is coming....She got her second choice, went to the brunch and rejected it (against our advice). She was told the night before by her first choice to go ahead and put both because she definitely got her first choice. My husband and I thought she should have given it more time and were not happy she went about it the way she did but she told us she felt trapped. She's young and has some growing up to do. I know she will be fine. I think she felt that was the only control she had it the situation. There is nothing else I can do but let her know I love her. I'm sad, but she is relieved. She may or may not try next year, but she said she'd rather be independent than join a group where she felt she didn't fit at all. She said the girls were lovely, but it wasn't where she wanted to be.

Life after an Unsuccessful Alabama Rush Experience
 

it's not fair or true to scare these girls into accepting bids from a house they don't want just because they will never get the chance to be Greek at Alabama again. I know a good handful of young women (at least 10) who were not successful during Fall Rush 2012 but were very successful during informal Spring Rush. In addition to meeting girls in a more organic situation, there was no pressure and therefore they made better choices and no one regrets their decision. They are all truly happy in their sorority today. While this can't possibly work for everyone who had a less then stellar Fall Rush experience, there is still hope for the Greek life after an unsuccessful Fall Rush.

It saddens me to read about girls that feel trapped by their bids. Recruitment is such a perplexing time. It occurred to me today while I was at dinner and heard someone complaining about a situation that I chalked up to our crazy city called Austin. Perception is such a strong emotion and such a strong motivator. Perception is reality.

At every campus across American you find chapters who have many girls on their lawns and for someone in the group (I would go as far to say this happens to every single chapter on every single competitive campus) it simply was not her first choice, but for many, it is their dream house. It makes it so hard to guide women into choices because one thing we don't have a visual on, is the heart.

What rocks one girl, can turn off another. Some girls want the familiarity of what they have always known, some want a different view point so they can grow into who they want to be. So actives can prepare all week long for these lovely women to come see what they have to offer but behind the fancy straws, the perfect cupcakes, and the coordinating outfits, is a chapter who at the end of the day, can't orchestrate a song that sings to every heart.

There will always be those who feel they have had little to no real voice in the process, no matter how much we try to pretend "mutual" really means mutual.

I'm disappointed for your daughter, but hope she enjoys her college experience. I know from my daughter's experience that it doesn't require being greek to have a great college career.

What a fun event to start the NM period off with!

This is TRUE! I'm so tired of people here haranguing PNMs who drop, screeching at them that due to their pickiness, they lost their only chance to be Greek. Most of the time, the haranguers don't even go to said school! Sure it's a possibility that they'll never be Greek. And sure it's a possibility that they may indeed end up Greek. Why should they take advice on that from non-UA (or whatever school) people?

Some of you guys need to quit trying to preach about something you know little about.

I don't think it would have mattered, so it's not your daughter's fault. No one from the first choice group should have told her this; apparently she wasn't high enough on their bid list to get a bid from them before they hit quota. If she had only listed that group, she wouldn't have gotten a bid at all.

Good luck to your daughter. I wrote a rec for a young woman who was released before Pref. She is very sad. I hope she gives informal recruitment a try.

My rec girl from out of state pledged A D Pi! She is beyond thrilled! She had a wonderful experience and her older sister who is an ADPi at a school in the Midwest is beyond happy too! Now I have to find her some ADPi goodies! (Thank goodness ADPi is colonizing at Ole Miss this fall because some of the stores have some goodies already!) Thanks to those Greekchatters who wrote her recs as well! Much appreciated!